Johannesburg - South Africa's energy crisis raises serious questions about its ability to successfully host the 2010 World Cup, the head of the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA) said Wednesday, following days of crippling power outages. South Africa is suffering acute energy shortages, resulting in countrywide power cuts lasting several hours at a time as state electricity provider Eskom tries to cover demand.
"Stadia may have all the most wonderful generators in the world to broadcast the games, but will people come to South Africa to see them if they know that they will be going back to hotels and guest houses with no power?" SATSA CEO Michael Tatalias asked.
No power meant "no hot meals, no clean laundry, no lights," Tatalias said.
Even if football fans were prepared to brave the threat of blackouts, which state electricity supplier Eskom has warned could continue for another five years, they face difficulties getting to games on time if street lights are out, SATSA warned.
"We have to ask ourselves honestly if we can still do this," Tatalias urged.
Loadshedding - Eskom's term for cutting power to some areas when demand is too tight - is estimated to have set businesses back tens of millions of dollars since the beginning of the year.
The threat posed to tourism - one of South Africa's biggest industris - became apparent Monday when a blackout ground two cable cars serving Table Mountain to a halt in mid-air, stranding 900 tourists at the top for over three hours.
South Africa's neighbours are also starting to feel the pinch of its energy woes.
Botswana, which gets 75 per cent of its electricity from Eskom, was also experiencing lengthy power cuts, SAfm public radio reported, after Eskom cut its exports to maximise supply to domestic customers.
South Africa has also cut back on its supplies to Namibia and Zimbabwe.
